Arts and Culture

MPR News has you covered with news and stories about local art and culture happenings across Minnesota.

Art Hounds: Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. You can explore arts events here, or become an Art Hound today.

Art Reviews: Our arts team offers insight on the latest in theater, music, visual arts and more. We explore the breadth of creativity and innovation found throughout Minnesota, offering audiences a deeper understanding of the works and artists shaping our cultural landscape. Read more here.

Art Friend: Everyone needs an art friend. Art Friend is a new segment with our arts team. Art spaces can feel exclusive and art can be confusing, obtuse, and even boring. But, especially with the right context, everyone can be a critic. So let us be your guide- your Art Friend. Listen or read Art Friend stories here.

Our arts coverage is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

'Frozen II' lets it go ... darker
Yes, there's another earworm-ballad, but the sequel at least attempts to course-correct for the pernicious princess obsession that the Disney corporation unleashed on the world in the first place.
Bakken Museum announces plans for major renovation
The renovation involves the entrance, lobby, classrooms and gallery space in the 21-year-old lower-level wing of the museum near Bde Maka Ska.
Eat like the ancient Babylonians: Researchers cook up nearly 4,000-year-old recipes
Written on four tablets, three of which date back no later than 1730 B.C., the recipes are considered to be the oldest known. And they taste pretty good, says a scholar who re-created them.
In 'Christmas in Austin,' family struggles are a gift to readers
In Benjamin Markovits' new novel, a far-flung family reunites in their home town of Austin for Christmas, bringing all their baggage. And while it's an emotional book, it never descends into pathos.
'The Pursuit of William Abbey' travels a twisty path
Claire North's new book starts with a doctor witnessing an atrocity in Africa in 1884, but becomes a spy thriller, a horror story, a supernatural mystery and an indictment of capitalism and empire.
A tiny Thai restaurant in remote Greenland serves up spice (and whale skin soup)
When Suriya Paprajong arrived in Greenland in 2001, he didn't even have a coat. These days, his eatery in Qaqortoq, population 3,000, is a local favorite, melding Thai flavors with an Arctic twist.
'Bradley of Him' is a surreally fun desert run
Connor Willumson's graphic novel follows the trail of a mysterious athlete, or possibly an actor — gawky, pale, never takes his mirror shades off — running through the desert outside Las Vegas.
A 'beautifully told' family drama
Bookseller Gwen Danfelt recommends a beautiful novel that weaves together a sense of place with a pressing question of identity.
In new book, Minnesota author draws attention to 'horrific' time in state's history
While she did not know her maternal grandmother, Sheila O’Connor now knows that in 1935, she gave birth at the age of 15 and — as punishment — was committed to the Minnesota Homeschool for Girls in Sauk Center, Minn., for six years.
It's been almost 20 years since the first "Charlie's Angels" movie and even longer since the TV series. So how does the new versions stand up? And what about "The Report"? Cube Critics Marcheta Fornoff and Euan Kerr dig in.